Sichuan wins fourth straight national women's basketball title

CHENGDU, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sichuan cruised past Jiangsu 95-73 to capture its fourth consecutive Chinese National Women's Basketball Championship title in Yibin, Sichuan province, on Saturday.

In a rematch of last year's final and the third meeting between the teams in four years, Sichuan led 25-24 after the first quarter, with starting center Han Xu scoring 13 points in the period.

Sun Yu was Jiangsu's biggest surprise, scoring 13 points in the first half, including a layup that tied it 44-44 at halftime.

The momentum swung in Sichuan's favor in the second half. Led by Han and Wang Siyu, Sichuan built an eight-point lead midway through the third quarter, while Zhang Manman and Luo Xinyu powered Jiangsu back into contention with consecutive baskets.

Leading 68-64 going into the final period, Sichuan showed its roster depth, establishing a double-digit lead with seven minutes remaining. Another layup from Wang widened the gap to 18 points with two minutes to play, ending any suspense about the outcome.

Han went 11 of 17 from the field for a game-high 26 points. Wang and Gao Song added 16 points apiece.

Luo led Jiangsu with 17 points, and Xu Chenyan contributed 16.

Earlier in the day, Wuhan beat Shandong 80-72 to secure bronze. Enditem